1. Technical Field
These inventive arrangements relate generally to methods and apparatus providing advanced operating features for video only and both video and audio programs on a recordable medium, and in particular to recordable digital video discs, hard drives and magneto optical discs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various devices have been developed to enable consumers to record video and/or audio programs for later presentation. Such devices include tape recorders, video cassette recorders, recordable compact discs, personal video recorders (PVR) using magnetic hard drives, and recordable digital video discs (DVD). Magneto optical discs can also be used for this purpose.
In certain instances, it may be desirable to allow a user to view a play back of a recorded video presentation at a slightly higher than normal speed. Consider, for example the case where a viewer may be interrupted while watching a program. Digital video recording devices such as a PVR or recordable DVD units, can incorporate a pause feature and a pause-resume feature. Thus the interrupted viewer wishing not to miss any of the presentation can initiate the pause feature, during which time incoming programming from a broadcast can be recorded. When the interrupted viewer returns the pause-resume feature is activated and the video recorder effectively jumps back to that portion of the program where the pause was initiated to commence playback. However, the digital video recording device continues to record incoming video programming. As a result, the interrupted viewer is able to watch a program in its entirety.
When the digital video recording device is in the pause-resume mode, there will be a delay, equal to the duration of the pause mode, between the real-time video received by the digital video recording device and the replay of that video to a display. For example, if a ten minute portion of a video broadcast is recorded when the device is in pause mode, then the replay or output displayed video will continuously lag ten minutes behind the real-time recording once the user returns and places the device in the pause-resume mode. In certain instances, it may be desirable to eliminate this delay. For example, a user may desire to complete the viewing of a recorded presentation on the hour or half-hour, so as to again view live broadcast video programming in real time. In such instances, it can be highly desirable for the video recording device to play back the video presentation at a slightly faster than normal rate in order for the replay material to effectively catch up with the live broadcast video programming.
Of course, there are many other reasons why a viewer may wish to view a presentation at a slightly faster than normal rate. While video recording devices have the capability to perform higher than normal speed playback, these systems generally suffer from several deficiencies. For example, the audio may be distorted or there may be visible loss of program content resulting from the speed-up process. These are undesirable side-effects for viewers who simply want view the video program at a slightly accelerated play speed, but without any significant or perceptible loss of original presentation material.